mourning

It's been a rough couple weeks for me...for lots of reasons. 

Last week I decided it was time to get a new swimsuit. 
Bad.  Idea. 
I went to Gap and started trying on suits.
And then I turned around and realized how saggy my bum has gotten and that I have cellulite on my thighs.  The experience just reaffirmed my suspicion that I need a vintage inspired suit with a lower cut...to help hide the sag.  And maybe a skirt or ruffle for the cellulite.  Awesome.

Then yesterday our Saturn (yes, we have a Saturn...the one car I swore I'd never own...it's blue.  And it's a sweet ride.) was broken into at the school Dylan attends.  The car was locked so the thief had to shatter our window to get the goods.  They made off with 200+ CDs.  More devastating was the $4200.00 in optometry equipment that they stole.  At first I felt mad.  Then sad.  Then felt violated.  Now I'm just hopeful that somehow it will turn up.  Or that our renters insurance will cover it.  Either way...total pain and lesson learned: we live in the ghetto and NOTHING is safe.  Even if it's locked up.
 I've also learned the when the contents of your car are worth 4x more than the car itself, you just pray that someone steals the worthless car and leaves everything else.

And 2 weeks ago I stumbled upon the BEST SALE EVER.  I'm pretty sure I've said that before...
You're probably wondering why I'm sad about that. 
Stick with me...
There was a huge historical building that had a little cardboard sign outside that read 'SALE.'  Lisa (thrift/yard sale/hummus buddy) and I almost drove right by...but our commitment is to always stop.  At every sale.  No matter what.
So we did.
It was  FULL of treasures...it had previously been a venue for events and also a site for selling antiques and vintage clothing.  When the tenant quit paying their lease and left her items behind, the landlord decided to sell the contents for $1!  It made me a little lottle (yes, that's a real word...it means a WHOLE lot) sad to see so many wonderful things being sold and thrown away (there was a HUGE free pile and a FULL dumpster). 
For example: there was an all-lace cream wedding gown that was just lovely...it had a high collar of lace and the underneath had a sweetheart neckline.  The sleeves were long and sheer.  It had an a-line skirt and medium length train (not that I was taking notes).  It was $.25 (yes, a whole quarter) and I didn't even buy it.  Since I'm already married, I didn't really feel it was necessary...even though I really wanted it.  And it almost made me cry that someones beloved wedding gown was being sold for a quarter.   
Don't worry, I've only thought/talked/obsessed about it non-stop a few times since.

Lastly, a few days ago I was combing my hair into a headband fluffing it with hairspray (yes, fluffing) and almost cried when I glanced in the mirror.  There it was...staring back at me. 
A gray hair. 
I have horrible hair as is...it's not a warm chestnut color like my 3 lucky sisters.  It's not jet black like my foxy moms.  It's mouse brown...just like my dads (thanks Mike) and now it has gray in it.  I'm much too young for grays...but maybe it's all the stress in my life. 

What stresses, you might be wondering?
Have you been reading this post??  
Think stolen goods, cellulite, and wedding dresses.
Don't worry, there is an up-side to all this.
Here is little mourning dress I picked up at the antique sale. 
It was $1 and fits like it was made for me:

in addition to the back silhouette of the dress, i just love the construction
cones and huge garbage can in the background of this picture.

And here I am dancing...trying to amuse my kids.  Don't worry...it worked:

I feel like the pictures don't do the dress justice...I just love the detail. 
The sleeves puff just the right amount where they meet the shoulder.  There are little slits on the underside of the wrists.  There is a waistband in the back that closes with a vintage button.  The length is perfect.  The sleeves are sheer lace.  Plus it's VERY comfortable for dancing. 
I could go on and on and on....it's one of the best things I've found in a LONG time and I can't wait to wear it out.
I suppose if I'm going to be mourning, at least I can do it in style. 

xo,
tracy

ps: I'm going to need someone to invite me a 'black tie attire' event so I have an excuse to throw on some heels and wear my new (to me) dress.  Thankssssss.